Before You Travel

Your Booking

If you are booking a tailor-made itinerary including hotels and ground arrangements a booking form must be completed and sent to us. This contains important information which may be required to reserve your travel arrangements. For such bookings we initially require a deposit of £150 per person together with the booking form and the balance must be paid 8 weeks prior to departure.

If you are booking less than 8 weeks before travel, full payment is required immediately. Certain services (such as Galapagos boats or hotel bookings during the Rio Carnival) may require interim payments but you would be advised of these.

Passports

Please ensure that your passport will still be valid for 6 months after the end of your trip as some Latin American countries make this an entry requirement.

Please also check that you have sufficient blank pages to cope with some of the more baroque entry stamps. Temporary or visitor passports are not sufficient for travel to Latin America. New regulations came into force in 1999 regarding passports for children and infants. Please ensure that the full family name and initials match your airline reservations so that your tickets are issued correctly.

Visas and Tourist Cards

The following information is correct for BRITISH passport holders at the time of writing but situations change so please double check with us or the relevant consulates before you travel. You will need at least 6 months left to run on your passport from your return date.

• British travellers holding return airline tickets do not generally require visas for countries in Latin America.
• Visitors to Cuba MUST purchase a tourist card before they leave the UK, (please ask for an application form).
• For Surinam a visa is required.
• If you are entering Venezuela by land from another country you will have to obtain a tourist card in advance
• For all other countries tourist cards are free and are available at the point of entry (or may be given out during your flight).
• If you are travelling on a one way ticket please contact us for specific requirements for the countries to be visited.
• Nationals of all other countries should check with the relevant consulates.

Climate

For up to the minute information on world-wide weather click on to "world" on the BBC website:
www.www.bbc.co.uk/weather

Flight Notes

Names
Please ensure that the family name and initials in your airline reservations match the details on your passport so we can issue your tickets correctly. We should be notified at the earliest opportunity of any discrepancies.

Meal Requests
Please let us know if you have any special meal requirements. Vegetarian, Vegan and Seafood meals are the most commonly requested. Whilst we make every effort to meet such requests, they cannot be guaranteed.

Reconfirmation
Your outward flight from the UK to Latin America does not usually have to be reconfirmed (Avianca is the exception) but you must reconfirm internal flights within Latin America and your return flight from Latin America to the UK. We suggest that it is best to reconfirm your onward and return flights when you first arrive in Latin America and again 72 hours before travel in case of any airline time changes.

Check-in
Please make sure that you check-in in plenty of time for all flights allowing for extra security measures at airports for passport control and x-ray of luggage. You may also have to allow time to pay any airport taxes which have to be paid locally.

Frequent Flyer
Let us know if you have a frequent flyer membership for any airline. If you are travelling on a discounted ticket you may not be able to accumulate airmiles but there may be other facilities which are available to you.

Airport taxes
Most Latin American countries impose airport taxes that you have to pay locally. For domestic flights the tax is usually $5-$10 and for international flights it ranges from $15 to $40.

Seat requests
Please let us know your preference but bear in mind that some airlines do not allow seats to be prebooked; others restrict the number of seats that can be reserved in advance. Seats next to emergency exits are allocated by the airline at check-in on the day of travel.

Money

Travellers to CUBA only: Cuba has announced a new 10% tax on all conversions between the US dollar and Cuba's "convertible" peso, to take effect from the 8th November 2004. Dollars are no longer accepted in shops or hotels. Because of this we are currently recommending our passengers take cash and traveller's cheques in sterling or euros.
NB. Cuba is going through a period of change, so there could be last minute changes to current advice - please call the office for up-to-date information before you travel.

Elsewhere in Latin America, Sterling and Euros are not generally accepted and tend to attract unfavorable exchange rates so always take US dollars. Cash machines can be found but it is still advisable to take some US dollars in cash with you as outside the main cities cash points can be few and far between. You should check your travel insurance to see how much money in cash (i.e. dollar notes) you are covered for under your policy. Our recommended insurance policy for Latin America provides cover for £500 in cash.

The rest of your travelling fund should be taken in US dollar traveller's cheques. Traveller's cheques are automatically insured by the issuing bank. They are safe and easy to exchange if you are worried about using cashpoints and don't want to take cash with you. We recommend that you take a combination of two brands of traveller's cheques (e.g. American Express, Visa) but remember that in Cuba you cannot use traveller's cheques drawn on US banks (e.g. American Express).

If you take traveller's cheques we suggest that you make sure they are issued in small denominations ($50 and under). Never change more than is necessary to live on for a few days. Inflation is not so alarming as in the mid-1980s when it spiralled out of control in many countries but be warned that in some countries inflation is still relatively high and your buying power can diminish quickly.

Make sure that banknotes are in good condition. Many banks, exchange houses, hotels and money changers will not accept torn or damaged notes. Generally, day to day living expenses will be lower than in the UK. Costs in Cuba and Belize are similar to other countries in the Caribbean. If you are in transit in Europe you way wish to have some Euros handy for both your outward and return journeys.

Vaccinations

Vaccination requirements and recommendations frequently change and it is not possible to give comprehensive advice here. To enter Brazil from another Latin American country you must provide proof of yellow fever vaccination and there are occasional outbreaks of Yellow Fever in other areas. We strongly recommend that you are covered against typhoid, hepatitis, tetanus and polio and that you take a course of malaria tablets if you are going into the jungle.

Please note that local health centres do not necessarily have up to date information for Latin America. We recommend that you consult a specialist vaccination centre. The Dept. of Health issues some useful guidelines for vaccination requirements. Please look at the country-by-country checklist in their website: Dept of Health.

If you live in the London area the following may be useful:

West London Vaccination Centre
53 Great Cumberland Place
London
W1
Tel: 020 7262 6456

Interhealth
157 Waterloo Rd
London
SE1 8US
Tel: 020 7902 9000

Deep Vein Thrombosis

Our customers should be alert to the dangers of deep vein thrombosis (leg blood clots). Although portrayed by the media as "economy class syndrome" it should be stressed that deep vein thrombosis is not restricted to customers travelling at the back end of the aircraft. It is caused by long periods of immobility, whether you are travelling by plane, car, train or bus.

Move your feet about when seated on flights; keep your legs as straight as you can and get up for a wander for a few minutes every hour if you can. Walk about during stopovers or whilst in transit.

Drink plenty of liquid - but not diuretics such as alcohol, tea or coffee. It may be a good idea to take your own bottled water onto aircraft as sometimes on long flights it is inconvenient or impractical to ask cabin staff. One cup every hour is recommended.

Wear clothes and shoes that are loose fitting and comfortable.

Provided you do not suffer alergic reactions, taking an aspirin before flying has been recommended by medical practitioners. This thins the blood to help circulation. If you are a smoker, are overweight, pregnant, have recently had an operations or been in hospital, are taking oral contraception or suffer from certain conditions including cancer or heart disease you may face increased risk. Please seek advice from your doctor.

If you feel that you are at risk or if you have any medical history which affects the circulation (heart conditions, stoke, blood clots in legs or lungs, varicose veins etc.) you really must see your doctor.

Foreign Office Advice

South American Experience is a partner in the Foreign Office Know Before You Go campaign.

Before you travel overseas, check the Foreign and Commonwealth Website at www.fco.gov.uk/knowbeforeyougo for essential travel advice, tips and up-to-date country information.

Luggage & Equipment

The following notes are designed to give you a few pointers when considering your packing:

• Light-weight cotton materials are better than synthetics as they are more comfortable in hot weather.
• Most three to five star hotels provide a Monday-Saturday laundry service which usually takes 48 hours.
• Clothes should be easily washable (Note: jeans take a long time to dry).
• If you already have comfortable walking boots take them with you but don't bother buying a pair specially, unless you have the time to wear them in properly.
• A torch and calculator often come in handy.

We have some special recommendations for the following areas:

Jungle, Cloudforest or Pantanal:
Insect repellent is essential, in liquid or spray form. Some people prefer low burning mosquito coils although most lodges provide mosquito nets. We suggest you take a water bottle, antiseptic and plasters.
Don't forget: Long-sleeved shirts; binoculars, hat.

Galapagos Islands:
Tablets, patches and wristbands are obtainable against sea-sickness. An old pair of trainers is ideal for excursions (these will get very worn, smelly and wet!) and a different pair of clean deck shoes is better on board. Remember, most landings off the boat will be "wet landings", where you have to jump into about a foot of water as the boats cannot go right up on to the shore.
If you wear glasses, a prescription snorkelling mask will make all the difference. Please see our notes about "Photography" in the "While you are away" section (under "Information").
Don't forget: Books, binoculars, sunhat, zoom lens, disposable underwater camera for snorkelling.

Diving:
If you plan to dive in Latin America you will need to take your PADI cerificate and also your own BCD and regulator.

Hotels at Heathrow and Gatwick

We would be delighted to book an airport hotel for you. Please contact us for details.

Airport Security

Due to increased security at aiports we are advising passengers to check in at least 3 hours before flights via the United States, 2 hours for direct flights to Latin America or for flights via Europe. You should be aware that a number of items are currently banned on board aircraft, please see the following list:

• Toy or replica guns (plastic or metal)
• Household cutlery
• Knives with blades of any length (including nail files)
• Paper knives
• Razor blades
• Work tools (eg. screwdrivers, hammers)
• Darts
• Scissors, tweezers, knitting needles
• Hypodermic syringes
• Sports bats (eg. cricket bats, golf clubs)
• Billiard Cues
• Catapults
• Corkscrews

However, procedure is changing all the time so it is important to check the latest recommendations before you get to the airport.

We are sure that our passengers appreciate the reasons for these measures and appreciate your readiness to comply.

Insurance

You MUST be covered for your trip. We usually send out proposal forms at the time of booking but if you have your own policy please send us a copy of the certificate and check that the cover is sufficient.

Many insurance policies will not cover you for any pre-existing medical condition or they may require further details (and an additional premium) in order to accept the risk.

Please note that certain airlines will not automatically replace lost or stolen tickets; many insurance schemes only provide limited cover for such an occurrence. Our own scheme is particularly suited to Latin America and we strongly recommend you use it.

To see details please go to: Insurance

Final Recommendations

We recommend that you leave copies of your documentation with a close relative (ideally someone who has knowledge of your medical history). You should include copies of the following:

• Full itinerary
• Passports
• Travellers Cheques
• Insurance Certificates
• Credit Card details (in case they need to be stopped or cancelled).
• Your e-mail address

Last Updated: Tuesday February 06 2007